This review is spoiler-free
“You see, technically, chemistry is the study of matter, but I prefer to see it as the study of change: Electrons change their energy levels. Molecules change their bonds. Elements combine and change into compounds. But that’s all of life, right? It’s the constant, it’s the cycle. It’s solution, dissolution. Just over and over. It is growth, then decay, then transformation. It is fascinating, really.” -Walter White, Season 1, Ep. 1, “Pilot”
After five seasons, “Breaking Bad” finally gave its eager fans the ending that they had been waiting for. We have witnessed the birth of a madman, the death of anything that stood in his path, and now the end of one of the greatest shows to grace our television screens in recent memory. Vince Gilligan, the show’s creator, has crafted a near-perfect portrayal of an average man’s descent into psychopathy, hardly missing a beat. This series was solely about witnessing a, as Gilligan put it himself, “Mr. Chips turn into Scarface” transformation that was steady, realistic, frightening, and oh-so satisfying to watch.
Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a true monster, but also a human monster that seemed as if he would risk everything to protect his family. This assumption became difficult to believe as the show progressed, since most of the time it seemed as if Walt was really just out for himself. This unique character was interesting to study, as it was not always clear what his goals were. Whether or not he was just aiming for some sick sort of self-enlightenment rather than trying to create a better future for his family. It became increasingly difficult to root for our anti-hero, as every decent act he made was coupled with something monstrous and completely unforgivable. Yet we still watched intently to see how it would all end. Millions of viewers tuned in every Sunday to see if Walter White really got the redemption he wanted, or the justice that he deserved. That ending finally came to fruition on Sunday, but did it live up to the years of hype that surrounded it?
No, it did not. Before grabbing your pitchforks, let me just say that absolutely nothing could live up to the hype that “Breaking Bad” has been building up for five seasons. The experience will never live up to the impossible expectations that this fantastic show has created. Gilligan has raised the bar so high that even he would not be able to reach it, no matter how hard he tried. That being said, was the finale of “Breaking Bad” everything I could have hoped for? Yes, it absolutely was.
Let’s talk about this episode. This episode, titled “Felina” (read it as Fe-Li-Na and its meaning becomes more clear), shows Walt doing [something] because of [that thing that happened] at [that place]. This is a spoiler-free review, so I won’t go in depth about the specific events that unfolded in “Felina,” but the bulk of the action was following Walt as he underwent his final plan set up in the previous episodes. The action was slow and methodical, but also engaging as we witnessed everything slowly wrap itself up. It didn’t really pack many punches until the end, but the journey was just as engaging as the resolution.
Most of the episodes in this season have been about lining the pieces up in order to prepare for their inevitable fall, while simultaneously knocking them over many times, only to set them right back up again. The penultimate finale episode was all about silently picking the pieces up that were pummeled to the ground in the episode before, and gently lining them back up and rearranging them in order to set the stage for the finale. The finale took all these pieces, along with any other piece that was left lying around, and knocked them all down one by one. Almost no stone was left unturned, and just about every loose end was tied up beautifully into what resulted in a very satisfying conclusion.
The thing that made this finale so fitting and ultimately satisfying was how virtually nothing was left up to interpretation, and every single storyline was concluded so precise and to-the-point that we didn’t end up feeling cheated as an audience. Unlike some shows (i.e. Lost, The Sopranos), this finale really did feel like the end, and no storyline felt as if it wasn’t given a proper sendoff.
This care and precision also resulted in this episode’s biggest problem. The episode was-I hate to say it-rather predictable. “Breaking Bad” is known for its jaw-dropping moments and big surprises, but there was really never a moment in this episode where I was surprised by what was happening. There were no sudden twists or any big surprises that transpired in this episode, and at times I found myself impatiently waiting for something mind-blowing or completely unexpected to happen, but instead everything was completely mapped out and to-the-point. It’s obvious that it was Gilligan’s intention to keep everything straight to the point, because often television shows become muddled and frustrating when they try to incorporate plot twists into their finales, but I was hoping for at least something unexpected to happen. Although I think I was mostly impatient because of the never-ending commercials that kept interrupting the action (smart move business-wise for AMC), so I may have to re-watch the episode commercial-free at some point.
I like to think that the final three episodes, played back-to-back-to-back, is the real finale to this show and in that way it makes me feel that the finale was absolutely perfect. The third-to-last episode (“Ozymandias”) had the excitement, the unexpected twists, and the heart-pounding tension that kept the audience at the edge of their seat and begging for the finale. The penultimate finale (“Granite State”) was more quiet and collective as it allowed the audience to catch its breath and prepare for the finale. The finale concluded the conflict created by “Ozymandias” and was a proper resolution for the whole series. In all honesty, “Ozymandias” is my favorite “Breaking Bad” episode-and quite possibly the best episode of any show I’ve ever seen-so viewing the finale from this episode onward eliminates any of the minor complaints that I had about the finale, and ultimately makes me appreciate how expertly crafted and satisfying this conclusion was. I wouldn’t change a single second of it.
“Breaking Bad” is not only a fantastic show, it’s now a standard for all television dramas that dare to premiere in its shadow. This show has set the bar higher than pretty much any show before it and has shown how much care, precision, and attention to detail can benefit a story as incredible as this. Vince Gilligan has shown that it doesn’t matter how good an idea is, because if it’s not executed well and planned ahead, then it will crumble under its own weight. “Breaking Bad” didn’t crumble. It didn’t overstay its welcome and attempt to prolong its conclusion until no one even cared anymore. Gilligan knew how this story would end, which allowed him to really focus on the journey and the rollercoaster of emotions that he would take his audience through for five amazing seasons. The show never lost steam, it never even had a bad episode, it just continued to roll along until it had to make this inevitable stop at its conclusion. We didn’t want to see it end, and we will miss it, but we know that it had to end at this moment. “Breaking Bad” will now be remembered as not ending on a whimper, but a bang.
Side Note: All of the episodes of “Breaking Bad” (currently excluding these final eight episodes) are available to stream on Netflix, so if you haven’t seen this show before, then I recommend that you watch it.
Bryan Cranston plays the infamous Walter White, meth druglord and psychopathic killer.
